How Blind People Cross The Street Alone

Tommy Edison shows us how someone who is blind or visually impaired crosses the street alone. This video features a crosswalk in Connecticut that is accessible and a crosswalk in New York City that's not accessible.

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THE TOMMY EDISON EXPERIENCE
Starring Tommy Edison
Produced/Edited by Ben Churchill
Assistant Camera: Francis Sheehan

Closed Captioning by Yahoo! Accessibility:

#accessibility #blindness #walking

[BlackburnBigdragon]

It really made me mad that there was a blind man with a white cane crossing that street and people were just zipping around him in their cars not even caring at that intersection. What is wrong with people??? What does it hurt to just wait that extra few seconds to let the guy cross?

[FWtravels]

That looks scary as fuck. Even sighted people get hit by cars.

[Marijn_]

in the Netherlands when you see a person with a white stick for blind people or a helper dog you are forced by law to let them.cross first.

[LaMorenaPequena]

People really fucking make me how are you gonna beep at a blind man crossing the street the just speed off like that, but I love the fact that he just kept on smiling and keeping a positive attitude WAY TO GO TOMMY 👏👏

[candyfloss.]

That would scare the hell out of me if I was blind and I had to cross the street without knowing where the cars were. I admire you and many other people that are blind.

[love]

Those people are so rude, they beep and just drive right past him being so close.

[VamLoveAndKisses]

Tommy, how do you feel about being offered help crossing the road if there's no tone? I'd feel bad for just leaving someone to judge the sound of oncoming traffic, but then I wouldn't want to sound patronising.

[idahomike]

That looks absolutely terrifying. I can't imagine that all the practice in the world truly prepares you for something like that.

[lauraabauraa]

In Ireland everyone has to push a button on a pole for the traffic to stop, and there are sounds for the blind and also a little cone on the bottom of the box that spins when you have to go. You just grab the cone and wait for it to spin, then walk. :)

[CaptainGlack]

In the UK, traffic light have a little motorised cylindrical thing that moves when it's safe to cross under the box that has the button on it. They also have a noise xD

[lkaw]

The first time I was with my blind student when he was learning to cross the street by himself I was nearly having a heart attack. The biggest problem wasn't the blind kid crossing the street, it was the people turning right that weren't watching. I totally agree that all traffic lights should either have a tone or a verbal countdown that let's the visually impaired know when it's safe to cross. Watching Tommy almost get flatened by that car definitley brought back memories.

[blazednlovinit]

Our crossings in the UK beep when its safe to cross, they also have a cone under the unit that spins

[siangreenwoodx]

like the other people are saying, in the u.k there is a little dial underneath where you press the button, so if there is no beeping, it will spin, also, at the crossing, the path with have bumps on it so you know where to stand and will be the same on the opposite side so you know when you have crossed the road safely

[sifuhotman]

How come crosswalk lines aren't slightly raised? I mean so that people who are blind or visually impaired can stay within the white lines and don't get off track.

[Matyme]

Back in my hometown there was a blind lady that I used to see cross the street once in a while. It was a wide four lane street. The first time I saw her I was riding my bike and I had to slow down to make sure she would cross fine. She stood at the curb for a good 30 minutes. She didn't use the cross walk either. I felt so bad but I felt I'd be wrong to asked her if she needed help. I'd see her cross that street so many times. She had alot of close calls but it didn't stop her from going out there every day. I truly admired her.

[HarryScutt]

In the UK we have little ridged cylinders on crossings so that if there isn't a beep, you can put your hand on it and wait for it to rotate, then you know it's safe to cross

[arielleari]

A few years ago they installed clicking noises when the light is green and "wait wait wait" when the light is red and you push the button. Never knew what they were till now :o

[KelseyS]

1:47 Thought he was about to get in that van and drive off for a moment haha.

[SkyNetworkTV]

In my little town of Starke Florida there are no audible crossing signals. Drives me crazy (cheapskates lol!) crossing Highway 301 is a nightmare, especially with cars turning.

[atticusminecraft]

In my town's downtown it has a computerised voice telling you when to cross and it makes a loud ticking noise when the time goes down